Falling For You
by lovethyneighbor
Summary: "Did it hurt? You know, when you fell from heaven?" She stared at him in disbelief for a couple of seconds and then giggled. "That was terrible." "It was," he agreed. "But it got your attention, didn't it?" "True." Finchel. Also some Klaine and Pucktana. AU.


**Hello! So originally this was going to be a multi chapter story, but I couldn't write anymore and it was getting annoying so I just made this into a really long one shot. It might get confusing at times because I introduced some plot points that I was going to cover later in the story but never did obviously and I apologize. Sorry if it sucks. Hopefully you enjoy it! :)**

**DISCLAIMER - I don't own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

**Falling For You**

Finn Hudson sighed as he cleaned a spilled drink off of the bar. He loved his job, it was awesome, just sometimes it got a little frustrating. Like when drunken idiots spilled their beers all across the counter and didn't even care. Just left it there, so it could get sticky and then cause other people to get pissed at him for the sticky counter when he wasn't even aware that it was sticky in the first place because the drunken idiots didn't bother to let him know.

"What's up, dude?" Noah Puckerman asked as he and Santana Lopez, walked up to the counter and sat down on adjacent bar stools right across from Finn.

"Nothing, man. Just the same old, same old around here. You know how it is," Finn answered.

"Finnocence, could you hit me up please?" Santana asked.

"San, you're a bartender. Come over here and make your own damn drink," Finn answered.

"Yes, I am a bartender. But am I on duty right now? Nope. So make me a drink. Rum and Coke please," Santana replied.

Finn rolled his eyes but smiled and then proceeded to make the drink. Santana could be difficult sometimes, she never hesitated to make his life hell, but he loved her. She was like a little sister to him.

Finn, Puck, and Santana had all grown up together in Lima, Ohio. They were in the same kindergarten class. Puck pushed Finn off of the swings and Santana stole Finn's sandwich. Finn had gotten them back by stuffing worms down the front of Santana's shirt and putting blue paint in Puck's tiny mohawk. They had been best friends ever since.

After graduating from William McKinley High School, they all relocated to New York, New York where they were taking some classes at NYU. It was at NYU where they met Joel Bruner and Nate Green, who later became members of their band. Santana was the lead vocalist, Finn was on the drums, Puck played guitar, Nate played bass, and Joel was on the keyboard.

Four years later, Finn got a job at a local nightclub as a bartender and he was such a hit that he was able to get Puck and Santana jobs there as well. And even better, their band was allowed to be the entertainment there every Wednesday and Friday night.

That is what Puck and Santana were doing at the bar even though they weren't working that night. It was a Wednesday and they were waiting for Finn to finish up his shift and for Joel and Nate to show up so that they could play.

"Here you go, San. One Rum and Coke," Finn said and handed Santana her drink.

Santana grabbed it. "Mmmm, that is tasty," she said after taking a huge sip. "No wonder you're considered the best bartender in this place."

Finn grinned. "Aw, San, was that a compliment?" he asked.

"What? No! Never," Santana replied.

"Oh, wow, Finn. That was a compliment. Who knew that she was capable of such a thing?" Puck said.

Santana slapped his arm. "Shut up, Puck. You're supposed to be on my side."

"I'm on my own side, thank you very much," Puck told her.

"Ugh, you suck," Santana replied and then held a hand up. "And do not make an inappropriate comment based on what I just said, please. I am not in the mood for your dirty mind."

"San, you know your mind is just as dirty as his. You're exactly like Puck, only with boobs," Finn commented.

"Thanks for the insult," Santana remarked.

Puck gasped. "Insult? The fuck? That was the best compliment that you'll ever get."

"In your dreams, Puckerman. I'd rather bang that homeless guy that hangs around our apartment building than be like you."

Finn laughed. "Dude, are you gonna take that?"

Puck shrugged, took Santana's drink out her hand, and then downed the rest of it.

Santana stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell, Puckerman? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. You grew up in Lima Heights Adjacent and you're this close to going all Lima Heights on my ass, blah, blah, blah."

Santana turned to Finn. "Please get your friend before he ends up at the bottom of the Hudson River."

"You know, the sexual tension between you two is palpable," Finn said and then laughed at the identical looks of horror and disgust on their faces.

"Please tell me that you're joking," Santana replied.

"Yes, please do," Puck agreed.

Finn shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint but I am dead serious. I am surprised that you two haven't fucked yet. I thought for sure that it would have happened back in high school."

"You are disgusting, Finn Hudson. Just…ew," Santana told him. "I would never, _could never _sleep with Puck. That is like sleeping with my brother."

"No, sleeping with me would be like sleeping with your brother," Finn countered. "Everyone knows that the relationship that you two have is nothing like the one that me and you or me and Puck have."

"Okay, whatever," Santana dismissed him.

"Hey, Joel and Nate are here," Puck announced. He turned to Finn. "You ready?"

"Yeah, just let me go clean up. I'll be over there in a sec."

Puck nodded and then he and Santana walked over to the tiny stage where Joel and Nate were setting up their equipment.

* * *

"Kurt, I really don't feel like going to a club," Rachel Berry said to her best friend, Kurt Hummel. "I am tired and I just want to go home, eat that new vegan ice-cream that I got yesterday, and watch Funny Girl. And try and forget the failure that was this afternoon's audition." She groaned. "At this rate, I am never going to be on Broadway."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Rachel, you were incredible at your audition. Mesmerizing. They would have to be crazy not to cast you."

Rachel was quiet for a while and then she smiled at Kurt. "You're right. I _am_ mesmerizing and they _would_ be crazy not to think that I am perfect for the role."

"Aren't I always right?" Kurt asked and they both laughed. "Really, though. We should go to this nightclub. It's amazing."

"Kurt, you know that I am not interested in that type of thing. Getting severely intoxicated, dancing inappropriately against complete strangers? Not my idea of fun," Rachel told him.

"You don't have to do any of that stuff, Rachel. We can just go so we can wind down, try and rid ourselves of all this stress that we've been under lately. You'll love it. They have great food, great drinks, and the entertainment is fabulous. And we are going on a Wednesday. Three of the bartenders play in a band on Wednesday and Friday nights and it's amazing."

"Kurt…" Rachel protested but then sighed at the look on his face. "Okay, fine, I'll go. But only for a little while." She smirked. "And besides, I know that the only reason you want to go so badly is because you want to see that cute guy that you met there last week."

Kurt smiled happily. "Fabulous!" he exclaimed and kissed her on the cheek. "Rachel, darling, you are truly my best friend. I owe you."

"Yes, you really do. I expect something really spectacular," Rachel replied but returned the smile. She'd do anything for Kurt.

When they first met at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts, otherwise known as NYADA, they had considered each other as enemies. They were both extremely talented and would do anything to be in the spotlight. They spent so much time hating each other and trying to one up each other, centering their attention on each other and not the stage, that this quiet, shy, but talented girl that no one had ever paid any attention to and ended up taking the lead role that they had both been vying for. It was then that they realized that the energy that they wasted in trying to ruin one another should be put into refining their talent and pursuing their dreams. They stopped considering each other as threats and once they realized exactly how much they really had in common and how much fun it was hanging out as friends and not trying to sabotage one another, they quickly became close and they had been best friends ever since.

* * *

"Ugh, I still can't believe you are making me do this," Rachel said as she and Kurt walked into the nightclub. "And I cannot believe you made me change into this dress. Its beautiful and I like it a lot better than what you normally try and put me in but what I was wearing was completely fine."

"It was not, Rachel, and you know it," Kurt replied. "And stop complaining. We all know that you would be lost if it weren't for me and my fashion expertise."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yes, Kurt. I do know that. You never stop reminding me."

"Only because I care," Kurt told her. "Now, let's go get a drink."

Rachel nodded and linked arms with Kurt as they walked towards the bar.

"One apple martini please," Kurt asked the bartender.

The bartender nodded and turned to Rachel. "And anything for you, miss?"

"Just a water, thank you," Rachel told him and then laughed at the look on Kurt's face.

Kurt stared at her in disbelief. "Water?" he asked. "Really?"

Rachel nodded. "Yes, water. I am not in the mood for alcohol tonight."

Kurt shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said and then nodded at the bartender who had handed him his drink. "Thank you." He smiled as he tasted his martini. "Mmmm, delicious."

He sighed contently. "Now that I have some alcohol in my system, I am going to go find Blaine. Will you be okay here?"

Rachel nodded as she took a sip of her water. "Yep. Go have fun."

Kurt kissed her on the cheek. "Text if you need me!" he said and then disappeared into the crowd.

Rachel sighed as she sat on the bar stool and leaned against the counter. "Why did I convince Kurt to drag me here?" she asked to herself and then took another sip of her water. She turned her head towards the band that was playing. They were pretty good. All of the guys in the band were really handsome and good-looking, but her eyes focused in on the drummer. He was really into the music and was smiling and he had the most adorable dimples that she had ever seen. Rachel turned around completely in the seat so that she could watch him. _Wow. He is really cute. _She was so busy staring at him that she didn't realize that he had noticed her as well. When they locked eyes, she blushed and quickly looked away. _Oh gosh, how embarrassing. I can't believe I just got caught staring at him!_

* * *

They were in the middle of their third song when she walked in. She was mesmerizing. She had long, silky, dark brown hair that fell in soft curves down her back. She laughed at something that the guy next to her was saying. Her smile was large and blinding, but not at all obnoxious, if that was even possible. It was perfect. She was perfect.

After she got a drink from the bar (a water, Finn noted…the guy she was with got an apple martini…weird) she turned to see who was playing. They locked eyes. Finn's breath caught in his throat. She had the most gorgeous eyes. Beautiful, brown eyes that were full of life. He was so entranced by her that he stumbled a bit on the song.

Puck glared at him. 'Sorry', he mouthed back and then returned his focus to his drums.

* * *

"Dude, what the hell was that?" Puck asked after they finished playing.

"Yeah, Finn, you hardly ever screw up like that. You're always, like, in the zone," Santana added.

"I got distracted for a second. Sorry," Finn replied.

"Distracted by what? A chick?" Puck asked.

"Maybe," Finn answered.

Puck nodded in understanding. "Oh, well, then that's understandable," he said. "Do you know that it has been a week since I got laid? A week! That is insane."

"Oh, you poor baby," Santana teased.

"You mock me now, it won't be so funny later tonight when you're trying to sleep and all you can hear is the sounds of ecstasy coming from my bedroom," Puck told her.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Santana protested. "You are not bringing some girl back to apartment tonight. I needs my beauty rest. Do you want Snixx to come out and play tomorrow?"

Puck grinned. "You jealous?"

"Jealous? Of you and some slut?" Santana asked and then let out a bark of laughter.

"Methinks that Finn was right and that you have had a thing for me since high school. Maybe even middle school," Puck said.

"You do realize that, by agreeing with Finn, you are pretty much admitting that you've wanted to fuck me since high school?" Santana asked.

"…oh."

Santana rolled her eyes. "You are such an idiot."

"Hey, I might be an idiot, but at least I am hot," Puck replied.

Santana just shook her head in disbelief and then turned to Finn, who was distracted. "Who are you looking at?"

Finn snapped his head back in Santana's direction. "Huh? What?"

Puck laughed. "I bet it's his 'distraction' from earlier."

Finn's cheeks turned red.

"Oh my gosh, it is! Finnocence has a crush!" Santana exclaimed.

"A crush? I don't even know her name," Finn replied.

"Then stop being a wuss and go get it," Puck said.

Finn hesitated. "I don't know…"

"Finn, you are a bartender and a drummer. I think you have a pretty good chance of getting her name _and _her number. Trust me, girls love bartenders and they love drummers. Bartenders _and _drummers? Now that's a killer combination," Santana told him.

"What about bartenders and guitarists?" Puck asked.

"Are you hitting on me?" Santana asked back.

Puck's eyes widened. "What? No!" he sputtered indignantly and then glared at Finn when he laughed. "You know what, I'm about to go find a chick to take home. The Puckasaurus is going hunting. See you fools later."

Santana rolled her eyes at Puck's retreating form. "You know, San, your eyes are going to get stuck if you keeping rolling them as much as you do," Finn told her.

"It's not my fault that Puck is a fucking idiot," Santana replied. "And you are too."

"What did I do?" Finn asked.

"You suggested that I am interested in him," Santana answered. "I have way higher standards than that. I would never sleep with a guy who calls himself Puckasaurus."

"You sure about that? I was under the impression that you slept with anything with two legs and a dick."

"Go fuck yourself, Hudson."

Finn laughed and wrapped an arm around Santana. "Love you, Santanaaaaa…" he sang.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Finnocence," Santana replied. "Now, you are going to go talk to that girl. Go offer to make her a drink or something. She's still at the bar."

Finn looked over at the bar, and sure enough, there she was. And she was alone. "How'd you know what chick it was?"

"Finn, you were staring at her for like five whole minutes. It wasn't that hard to figure out," Santana said.

"Oh."

Santana pushed him in the direction of the bar. "Go! Go woo her with your awesome bartending skills."

Finn grinned. "I will. Talk to you later, San."

"'Kay," Santana replied and then walked off in search of a guy to hit on.

* * *

Finn walked up to Sam Evans, the bartender who was covering for Finn while he was playing. "Hey dude, I can take it from here. Thanks."

"It's cool. I can stay here until closing," Sam offered.

Finn glanced at the girl, who was sitting a couple feet down from where he and Sam were standing. "No, it's fine."

Sam sent him a smile. "Thanks, man. Oh, and you guys sounded great. You killed it on the drums."

"Thanks," Finn replied. Sam walked off and then Finn headed to where the girl was sitting. She had her head turned towards a woman that was singing on stage and didn't notice him. He could feel his nervousness in the pit of his stomach. Ever since he could remember, whenever he'd get around a cute girl, he would get extremely nervous, start sweating profusely, and could barely get a word out. The only difference between now and when he was younger was that he'd learned to hide the fact that he felt like he was about to pee his pants. He could even pretend that he was as confident as Puck. He'd gotten so good at it in fact that most of the women he talked to, which the number of had gone way up since he and his ex-girlfriend broke up and even more since he started working at the nightclub, didn't even realize what a dork he was.

For some reason though, in front of this woman, he couldn't conjure up his inner womanizer. His palms started to sweat and he wiped them on his jeans. He had been standing there trying to gather up the courage to say something for about two minutes but the woman hadn't noticed that he was there. He cleared his throat. "Did it hurt?"

The woman turned around. "Excuse me?"

"Did it hurt?" Finn repeated. "You know, when you fell from heaven?"

She stared at him in disbelief for a couple of seconds and then giggled. "That was terrible."

Finn smiled in relief. In his nervousness, he'd just blurted out the first thing that popped into his head which was one of the many cheesy pick up lines that he loved. He hadn't used them on a woman in a while because back when he was in high school, mostly everyone thought that they were stupid and not funny at all. This one laughed though, and that was a good sign, right? "It was," Finn agreed, "But it got your attention, didn't it? And that was the point."

"True." A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had really nice lips, Finn noticed.

"Well, now that I have your attention..." Finn said. He held out his hand across the counter. "Hi, my name is Finn. Finn Hudson."

She smiled shyly as she took his hand and shook it. "Rachel Berry. With a star at the end."

"Why the star at the end?" Finn asked with a smile.

Rachel blushed as she explained. "Stars are a metaphor, for me being a star. I am going to be a huge Broadway star one of these days." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ears. "You think I'm weird, right?"

"Not weird. More like…intriguing. Like I definitely want to get to know you more." With every moment that he continued talking to her, Finn felt his confidence grow.

"Oh."

"So, Rachel Berry with a star at the end, would you like me to make you a drink?" Finn asked. "The word around here is that mine are the best."

"Oh, I don't doubt that they are. I'm not really in the mood for drinking tonight though. Maybe next time."

"Next time?"

Rachel sent him a smile. "You did say you want to get to know me more, right?"

"I did."

She searched through her purse and then pulled out a black sharpie. "Give me your arm."

Finn gave her a wary look as he held out his arm and she started writing her number on it. "I have two questions. One, why are you writing on my arm? You could have just told me your number and I would have put it into my phone or you could have written it down on a piece of paper or something."

"This makes much more of an impression," Rachel answered as she signed her name next to the number.

"Question number two, you carry sharpies around in your purse?"

"Yep. You never know what adoring fans you might run into," Rachel told him and then smiled. "Or adorable bartenders who look very sexy while drumming."

Finn grinned. "Adorable _and_ sexy?"

"No comment." Rachel pulled out a sheet of gold star stickers from her purse and then stuck one on Finn's arm next to her name.

Finn raised an eyebrow.

Rachel blushed again. "I always put a gold star next to my name. It's my signature."

Finn smiled, showing off his dimples. "You are cute."

Rachel scrunched up her nose. "Cute?"

"Yeah. What's wrong with cute?"

"I am twenty-two years old," Rachel explained.

"A very cute twenty-two year old, might I add." Finn laughed at the crestfallen look on Rachel's face. "Rachel, being cute is not a bad thing, alright? Trust me."

"Trust you? I barely know you," Rachel pointed out. "You know, this whole situation is weird. I don't normally give out my name and number to people I have known for five minutes."

Finn was quiet for a few moments as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. Finally, he said, "Your father must be a thief."

"What?"

"Your father must be a thief because he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes."

Rachel tried to keep the smile from coming, but failed. "You are such a dork."

"Nah, I'm the smoothest guy you'll ever meet."

"Right." Rachel laughed and then looked at her phone as it vibrated with a new message.

An amused smile broke out across Finn's face. "Nice phone," he said. It was a bright pink and bedazzled iPhone.

Rachel blushed again and then sent him an apologetic smile. "That was my best friend. I have to go."

"Rachel, I really want to see you again. You know, after today."

Rachel smiled at him. "We'll see," she told him and then was gone.

* * *

"Why are we leaving?" Rachel asked Kurt as she met with him by the door. "Weren't you having fun with Blaine?"

Kurt frowned. "No. This Sebastian guy was all over him and he didn't seem to mind," he told her. "Ugh. Men."

"Awww, I'm sorry, Kurt."

"Yeah, me too. I thought he liked me. It sure seemed like it last week." He sighed. "So, did you have fun?"

Rachel thought about Finn. She smiled. "Yes, surprisingly I did."

Kurt smiled triumphantly. "Told you," he said. "And you weren't even drinking. Imagine the fun you'll have when you actually get some alcohol in your system."

Rachel laughed in response and then she and Kurt stepped out of the building and into the streets of New York City, still busy even though it was a little past midnight.

* * *

"Oh g-d, did you hear that? It's like a horror movie," Santana said as she and Finn were squished next to each other in Finn's tiny bed. Finn's bedroom was the furthest away from Puck's (Santana's was right next door) therefore it was the furthest away from the terrifying sounds.

Finn nodded in agreement. "I still don't understand why he couldn't have gone to her place instead of bringing her here."

"He's an asshole, that's why. He just wants to be the cause of the nightmares that you and I will be having for the next couple of months. Not to mention that he wants to rub it in that neither you or me are getting laid right now," Santana answered. "And I don't know why you aren't getting laid, it seemed like you and your 'distraction' were hitting it off."

"My 'distraction' has a name, you know," Finn said.

"Okay…what's her name?"

Finn smiled as he thought of Rachel. Rachel, with her eyes that looked like pools of chocolate and her dazzling smile. "Her name is Rachel. Rachel Berry. With a star at the end."

"A star at the end?" Santana asked.

"Yes, a star at the end. It's her signature," Finn told her.

Santana was quiet for a while and then said, "She sounds weird. Maybe it's a good thing that you aren't fucking her right now."

"She's not weird, San. She is different. She is intriguing," Finn replied. "And she loved my cheesy pick up lines."

Santana laughed. "You know, it's kind of a relief that you were all nervous to go talk to her and everything. And you used your cheesy pick up lines instead of trying to be all smooth and stuff. Reminds me of the old Finn."

"The old Finn?"

"Yeah, the Finn who wasn't some ladies man. The Finn who didn't sleep with random girls that hit on him just because he's a hot bartender and drummer in a band. The Finn who actually wanted to be in relationships. Real relationships. The Finn–"

"Are you done yet?"

Santana ignored him. "The Finn you were before Quinn broke your heart. The second time, I mean."

"Well, I'm sorry that I've changed. Besides, don't you like this Finn better? I mean, yeah, I used to be popular and stuff back in high school but that's only because I was the quarterback and because I was friends with Puck, who everyone was scared shitless of, and you, who every guy wanted to fuck. I don't want to go back to the guy who was afraid to talk to girls, afraid that he would look like an idiot. I like this new, more confident Finn better."

"Okay, yes, it's good that you're more confident. Confidence is good. Attractive. I just don't see why you have to sleep with random chicks all the time and pretend like you're someone that you're not. You're fine just the way you are. Trust me. If you weren't, I would not spend nearly as much time with you as I do."

"Whatever, Santana," Finn said.

"Okay, fine. Don't believe me," Santana replied. They sat in silence for a while and then she asked, "So, why did you use those terrible pick up lines on her? All you had to do was flash that somehow adorable but sexy at the same time smile at her, offer her a free drink, feed her some shit about how beautiful she looks under the lights of the club and she'd be putty in your hands. If you like this 'new Finn' so much better, why didn't you act like him?"

Finn shrugged. "I don't know. I could tell she was different than all those other girls that I usually hook up with. And I got nervous. I didn't know what to say and that's what I ended up saying." He sighed and looked down at his arm where he could still clearly see Rachel's number even after taking a shower. "I don't think I am going to call her."

Santana looked at him in surprise. "What? Why not? I thought you liked her."

"I do. That's the problem," Finn told her. "I don't want to end up falling for her like I did with Quinn and then end up getting my heart broken. Twice."

"Finn, you do realize that not all relationships are like that, right?" Santana asked. "Just because you were in a serious relationship, the only _real _relationship that you've ever been in might I add, and you ended up with your heart broken does not mean that all relationships will end that way. A lot do, but not all. Plus, you and Quinn were in high school. We all do stupid shit in high school. We don't know how to handle relationships and love and all that crap."

"You know, it's funny," Finn said.

Santana looked at him. "What's funny?"

"The fact that you're here, giving me relationship advice, telling me that not all relationships are bad, when you've never been in a real relationship yourself," Finn told her. "I think it's kind of hypocritical to do that when you're not even willing to open your heart to someone yourself."

"Yeah, but I'm a coward. Terrified of love," Santana replied. "And not even because of the risk of heartbreak. Love makes you do some crazy stuff. I like being in control. I _need _control, Finn, and falling in love could totally screw that up for me."

"Um, yeah, but it could also make you happy. Really happy. Don't you want that?" Finn asked her.

Santana fiddled with a loose thread on Finn's comforter. "Yes. I do want that," she said quietly. "Don't _you _want that?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah," he told her. "I just don't know if I could make myself that vulnerable again. I don't want to get hurt."

"I guess we're both cowards then," Santana said.

"Yeah," Finn agreed.

"What about Puck? Why do you think he whores himself out like he does? Is he trying to protect his heart or does he genuinely like fucking every girl that throws themselves at him?"

At that moment, they both heard two really loud moans coming from Puck's room.

Finn cringed as he said, "I think it's a little bit of both."

* * *

"I still don't understand why you wanted to come today, Rachel. I really don't want to be here. Not when there is a chance of running into Blaine. We couldn't come tomorrow? I told you, he usually comes here on Wednesdays and Fridays and of course, you decide to come on a Friday. Ugh," Kurt said as he and Rachel walked into the nightclub. "And why the hell are you wearing that? I said that you need to be more fashionable, look more sophisticated, not dress like a stripper."

Rachel gasped. "I am not dressed like a stripper. This is a little black dress. I thought you told me that you could never go wrong with a little black dress."

"Yeah, well, you can go wrong when the little black dress is the epitome of little and barely covers your ass," Kurt told her.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Please, Kurt, this dress is not that short."

"Bend over."

"What?"

"Bend over," Kurt repeated.

"No!" Rachel replied. "Then everyone will see my…" her words trailed off and she glared at him. "Whatever. At least I am wearing tights underneath."

"Sheer tights," Kurt pointed out. "You can see right through them. It's not like they provide a lot of coverage. Also, you're wearing six inch heels. You never wear six inch heels unless you're playing a role that requires six inch heels. And g-d, did you really have to use so much hairspray?"

Rachel sighed. "Okay, yes, this outfit is a little more…promiscuous than something I would normally wear, but I have my reasons."

"Reasons? What kind of reasons? Are you trying to impress someone?" Kurt laughed but then gasped when he saw the blush that was making its way across his best friend's cheeks. "Oh my gosh, Rachel Berry! There is a guy, isn't there? There's a guy and you didn't tell me!"

"I'm sorry, Kurt! I am sorry I didn't tell you but I was embarrassed," Rachel told him.

"Embarrassed? Why be embarrassed for liking a guy?"

"I gave him my number on Wednesday and he hasn't called. Not once. Not even a little text," Rachel said. "I thought he was interested, but I guess I was wrong."

"And so you came here tonight, dressed like a hooker, in hopes that you'd catch his eye?" Kurt shook his head in disbelief. "Rachel, darling, if this guy doesn't like you for who you are than he doesn't deserve you. And he's missing out on being with a great woman because you are pretty damn amazing."

"You're right, Kurt. Thanks," Rachel told him.

Kurt smiled and pulled Rachel in for a hug. "No problem, Rachel."

"So, do you want to leave, or do you want to stay and have a drink?" Rachel asked.

Kurt was quiet as he contemplated his choices. Finally, he shrugged. "Oh, what the hell. Let's have a drink."

"Kurt?" a short, but handsome guy with curly dark brown hair and thick eyebrows walked up to the bar.

Kurt stared at him in surprise. "Blaine!" he exclaimed. "Um…hi. Didn't expect to see you here."

Rachel snorted into her martini. Kurt sent her a disapproving look and then turned back to Blaine. "Where's Sebastian?"

Blaine looked confused. "Sebastian? Why would I be with Sebastian?"

"Well, you looked pretty into him Wednesday night. I thought maybe you two would be hanging out again."

"I am not interested in Sebastian, Kurt," Blaine said. His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. "Is that why you haven't been returning my calls? You think that I like Sebastian?"

"Maybe," Kurt replied.

"Well, I don't. Like Sebastian, I mean. He's kind of an asshole," Blaine said.

The corners of Kurt's mouth curled up. "You're just now realizing that?"

Blaine just smiled back at him in response.

Rachel was starting to feel a little uncomfortable because of they way they were staring into each others eyes, it felt like she was intruding on a very intimate moment, so she said, "I'm gonna go dance."

Kurt looked at her in surprise. "Really? I thought dancing inappropriately against strangers wasn't your thing?"

"It's not. I'm just gonna go dance in the corner all by myself," Rachel told him.

"That sounds…fun, I guess," Kurt replied.

Rachel kissed him on the cheek as she got up off of the stool she was sitting on. She tugged at the bottom of her dress, trying to make it cover a little bit more skin than it currently was and then wiggled her fingers at Kurt and Blaine. "Bye! Have fun!"

* * *

"So, I am thinking that I need to get laid tonight," Puck announced. They had just finished their last song of the night and he, Finn, and Santana were standing at the bar, drinking beers, and watching the crowd of dancing bodies in front of them.

"Dude, you got laid last night. And the night before last. I don't think I can take another day of the terrifying sounds that come from your room whenever you bring a chick back to our place," Finn replied.

"You're just bitter because its been forever since you had sex. Come, young grasshopper, let's find you a hot chick to lure into your bed tonight," Puck said.

Santana laughed. "Young grasshopper? He doesn't need your help, Puck. I am sure he's capable of finding a girl to fuck all on his own."

Puck ignored her. "Hey, what about her?" He pointed to a corner in the back of the club, at a woman who was dancing all by herself, her body moving in time to the music. "Damn, she is fine. Do you see those legs?"

"I'm good," Finn said. "You can have her if you want."

Puck grinned. "Awesome, thanks man."

Santana sighed. "I really need some female friends. I think spending all my time with the two of you is slowly killing all of my brain cells."

* * *

Rachel was in her own little world, moving her body in time with the pulsing beat, that she didn't notice the guy walking up to her. He leaned on the wall next to her. "Hey beautiful," he said in a low voice. "You seem lonely. Want some company?"

Rachel glanced up at him and to her surprise, she saw that he was the guitarist from the band that Finn was in. He was even better looking up close, she thought to herself. But the predatory look that was in his eyes was freaking her out and she said to him, "I'm fine, but thank you for the offer."

"Aw come on," Puck said. "You really don't want some of this?" He gestured to himself. "I am the Puckzilla. Everyone wants the Puckzilla."

Rachel couldn't help it, she laughed. "Puckzilla?" she asked. She turned around and resumed dancing. After a while, she peeked out the corner of her eyes and was surprised to see that he was still there. She figured that he would just get tired and move on to the next girl. "You're still here?"

"Yeah…" Puck said, a thoughtful look on his face. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Rachel replied.

"Really? Weird. Do you come here often? I might just see you around a lot. I'm the bartender and I play in a band here, you know," Puck said.

"Yes, I am aware of those facts and no, I don't come here often. This is my second time," Rachel told him.

"Oh. Have we fucked?" Puck asked.

Rachel stared at him, appalled. "Ew, oh my gosh, no!" she exclaimed. "And must you use such crude language? Were you not taught manners as a child?"

"Okay, I take that as a no," Puck said. "Damn. Why do you look so familiar…?" His eyes lit up as it hit him. "Oh! You're the 'distraction'!"

Rachel was looking at him like he had grown a second head. "I don't mean to be rude, what the hell are you going on about? The Distraction? That sounds like one of the people from Jersey Shore. And I can assure you that I have no connection with them at all."

"Clearly, otherwise you wouldn't have been so bothered by my language. And I am sure that you'd be over there grinding up against all those people, not over here dancing by yourself," Puck told her. He laughed at the death glare that he was on the receiving end of. He found it cute that she was so tiny, but was trying to look menacing. He could probably step on her if he wanted to. Not that he would, of course. Finn would kill him. "I meant that you're that chick that Finn was distracted by Wednesday night."

"…oh," Rachel said. She didn't know how to respond to that.

"Oh man, I have to go get Finn," Puck said. "Stay right there," he said to Rachel and then headed off in search of Finn before Rachel could protest.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh," Rachel muttered to herself. Finn was coming. She was going to see Finn. What would he think of her new look?

"See, there she is," Rachel heard Puck's voice from a couple feet away. She looked up and saw Puck walking back to her, with Finn at his side. She blushed and looked down at her feet.

"See, I told you," Puck said to Finn as they reached Rachel. Finn stared at her in surprise. "Rachel?" She looked completely different than last time he had seen her.

She looked up and sent him a tiny wave. "Hi Finn," she said.

"I'm gonna leave you two alone…" Puck announced, winked at Finn, and then was swallowed by the sea of dancing bodies.

"So…" Finn started.

"Why didn't you call me?" Rachel blurted out.

"I…uh…what?" Finn asked.

"Why didn't you call me? I gave you my number, you told me that you wanted to see me again, and you never called me. That is kind of rude, you know."

Rachel had her hands on her hip and was staring him down. She reminded Finn of a mom or an elementary school teacher or something which totally clashed with what she was wearing. She looked kind of like a sad hooker clown.

"Finn!" Rachel snapped when Finn didn't respond because he was so caught up in his thoughts.

_Oh, crap. She's mad. I don't do well with angry women. _"Listen, Rachel…" Finn started.

Rachel shook her head and held up a hand. "No, it's fine. I don't need to hear your excuses. It's completely understandable that you wouldn't be interested in me like that."

Finn scrunched his eyebrows together. _She thinks I'm not interested? _Instead of correcting her, he decided to ask her about her choice of clothing. Or lack of clothing. "Why are you dressed like that? You don't look like yourself," Finn said. "Or, at least you don't look like that the person that I met on Wednesday. I guess I don't really know you well enough to determine if you look like yourself or not."

"I don't," Rachel told him. "Look like myself, I mean."

Finn nodded. "Yeah, I didn't take you as the type to dress like that."

For some reason, Finn's comment rubbed Rachel the wrong way. She glared at him. "Oh, so what type do you think I am? Do you think I am a prude? Okay, yes, I don't go around sleeping with anyone and everyone, I actually respect my body thank you very much, but that does not make me a prude," she practically hissed at him. "I am not a prude."

Finn stared at her in surprise and said, "Hey, calm down. I never said that you were a prude." Big mistake.

She stomped her foot on the ground in anger and said, "Don't tell me to calm down! I am perfectly calm right now!"

Finn couldn't help but let out a little laugh. She was so obviously not calm and the way she stomped her foot on the ground reminded him of a little girl. She was so cute.

"What?" Rachel snapped.

"Nothing, it's just…I find you extremely cute," Finn told her.

"Cute? You think I'm _cute_?" Rachel asked. "Ugh!"

Finn was confused again. "What?"

"I don't want to be cute, Finn! If I wanted to be cute, I would dress in my normal clothes, not this…this travesty of an outfit!" Rachel yelled.

Finn glanced around and saw that a few people were gawking at them. "Rachel…people are starting to stare. Can you _please _calm down?"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! I AM CALM, WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!"

Finn just stared at her in disbelief.

Rachel stood there for a couple seconds, her chest heaving, and then she huffed and then stomped away. But not before the stumbled a bit over her heels. She yanked them off of her feet, tossed them away from her, and then continued walking.

Puck walked back over to Finn. "Dude…what the hell did you say to her?"

"I don't even know, man. I don't even know."

* * *

After looking around the nightclub for Kurt but having no success, she headed back to the bar and sat down. "Something strong, please," she told the bartender. "Doesn't matter what it is. I just want something strong."

The bartender grinned at her. "No problem, little lady. Something strong, coming right up."

Rachel let out a sigh as the bartender walked away from her. Now that she had calmed down a bit, she began to feel a little embarrassed at her outburst towards Finn. She knew she had overreacted, but the fact that he never bothered to call her (She shouldn't have been that upset, but she was. She thought that they really hit it off the last time they talked.), the fact that her new look didn't seem to have any affect on Finn at all (He still thought she looked cute. Ugh.), and the fact that he thought she was a prude (Yeah, he denied that fact, but she didn't believe him. Everyone thought she was a prude. Why would he be any different?), had all caught up to her and she just lost it. She was grateful for the loud music because otherwise, a lot more people would have been treated to a free show and she would never, ever show her face in this club again. Not that she was planning on coming another time. The only reason why she wanted to come in the first place was because of Finn and if he wasn't interested before, he definitely wasn't interested now. He probably thought she was some freak. But its okay, she told herself. _I'm used to being known as the freak, the outcast. I had no friends in high school. I didn't have boys knocking down my door to be with me. I'm crazy if I think that life isn't going to be like that anymore. I was somewhat popular in NYADA but that was only because of my impeccable talent. I should have known better than to allow myself to believe that life is going to be the same out here in the real world. _

She sighed again and then smiled gratefully as the bartender slid her drink across the counter towards her. "Here you go, ma'am. Hope it's satisfactory," he said. Rachel had just lifted the glass up to her lips when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Do you really think that you can handle that? I mean, that's some hardcore alcohol, right there. I would know."

Rachel turned and saw a Latina standing behind her. She rolled her eyes and turned back around. "I'm fine," she said and then took a big gulp of her drink. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Her eyes were watering and everything was a blur to her. Not that she cared; she was just trying to get her throat from feeling like someone lit a fire inside of it. "Oh my g-d that is strong," she said to herself as the pain began to subside.

The Latina just shrugged and sat down on the bar stool next to her. "Told you," she said and signaled for the bartender to get her a drink. The bartender laughed. "Make your own drink, Santana," he told her.

Santana rolled her eyes. "What about 'I am off duty' do people not understand? Unless I am getting paid for it, I am not making any drink," she replied.

Rachel looked at her. "You work here?" she asked.

Santana nodded. "Yep. Four nights a week," she answered. "Why?"

"No reason…" Rachel murmured as she tried to think of why Santana looked so familiar to her. "Oh! You're the lead vocalist in Finn's band," she said when it finally came to her.

Santana grinned. "Yep. That's me." She held out a hand. "Santana Lopez," she introduced herself.

"Rachel Berry," Rachel responded as she shook Santana's hand.

Santana laughed. "With a star at the end, right?" she asked.

Rachel blushed. "Finn told you about that?"

"Yep. He's my bestie. We tell each other everything," Santana said and then leaned in close. "So, I saw your little outburst over there. What did Finn do to get your panties in a twist?" she asked. "Did he try and get you to sleep with him? Feed you some shit about how he doesn't want a relationship?"

"Um, no," Rachel answered.

"If he did, don't listen to him. He is a dumbass…wait, what?" Santana continued. "He didn't say that? Wow, I totally thought he would have. Never mind then. What made you so upset?"

"It's not important," Rachel told her.

"You're upset that he didn't call you, right?" Santana asked. She grinned at the surprised look on Rachel's face. "Oh, sweetie, I am a female. Although I never had problems with guys calling me back, I mean look at me I am gorgeous, I did have friends on the cheerleading squad that never stopped complaining about their guy issues."

"Um…" Rachel did not know how to respond to that.

"Listen, I'm not going to tell you all the details, Finn will tell you if he wants you to know, but let's just say that Finn was in a really serious relationship during high school and it was kind of a disaster and really fucked him up and now he is convinced that all relationships are like poison. He didn't not call you back because he's not interested, he didn't call you back because he is scared," Santana told her.

"Did he tell you that? Because it doesn't seem like he's that interested in me," Rachel asked.

"Yes, he did tell me. And even if he didn't, I can tell. I know all about being terrified of love," Santana answered.

"Were you in a relationship that ended up badly as well?" Rachel asked and then blushed. "Sorry, I sound really nosy, don't I?"

Santana waved a hand in dismissal. "It's fine. I don't mind," she said. "And no, I was not in a relationship. I don't do relationships. Never have. But I don't want to get into that." She looked at what Rachel was wearing. "So, you don't really seem like the type to wear what you are wearing," she observed. "What's up with that?

Rachel sighed. "Do I have the word prude stamped on my forehead or something?"

"No," Santana said. "But I am getting some major virgin vibes coming from you."

Rachel groaned. "If you really want to know, I am dressed like this because I wanted to attract Finn's attention. It was pointless though because he still finds me to be 'cute'. I am wearing this miniscule scrap of cloth and he thinks I am 'cute'. Fabulous," she said.

"If you're worried that Finn isn't attracted to you, then don't be. He is. And you look totally sexy in that outfit. When Finn and Puck saw you from across the room, they were both totally drooling," Santana told her. "It's obvious that you're trying to be something that you're not though and that is so not sexy," Santana said. "You're uncomfortable and that doesn't translate into sexiness. You need to be confident. And you're not confident in that outfit."

"I wear things that this all the time for shows though. I'm fine then," Rachel replied. When she saw the confused look Santana gave her, she added, "I am an actress. I aspire to be a Broadway star one day."

"Oh," Santana nodded in understanding. "You probably have no problem with it when you're performing because you are playing a role. The person that you are acting like doesn't have a problem with it therefore you don't. When you are yourself though, it's different. You're not playing a role."

A dejected look came across Rachel's face. "I hate this."

"You just shouldn't try so hard, Rachel," Santana told her. "I bet that when Finn met you two days ago, he probably found you extremely attractive. Because you were in something that you felt comfortable in and you were yourself and you owned that. Like I said before, confidence is sexy."

Rachel nodded. "I understand. It's like, I know that I am an extremely talented actress and vocalist, I am confident in my abilities, and that translates well to the audience."

"Exactly," Santana agreed. "You want Finn to be attracted to you? Be yourself."

Rachel sent Santana a smile. "Thank you," she told her.

"No prob," Santana replied and then stood up. "I'll leave you alone now. I gotta go talk to some people. I hope to see you again. For Finn's sake, not mine. Don't get it twisted. Just because I gave you some advice does not mean that we are friends. Consider it charity. I'm making the world a better place by sharing my knowledge with unfortunate souls." She sent Rachel a little wave and then walked away.

* * *

Santana walked over to where Finn and Puck were standing in the middle of a group of girls. "Excuse me, I'm just gonna borrow my friend here for a moment," she said as she grabbed Finn's arm and pulled him away.

"What do you want, Santana? I was in the middle of convincing this chick to come home with me tonight," Finn said, irritated.

"What the fuck? I thought you were into Rachel?" Santana asked.

"What part of 'I do not want to be in a relationship' do you not understand?" Finn asked back. "Besides, she hates me now."

Santana rolled her eyes. "She doesn't hate you, dumbass, she is just upset that you didn't call her. You can't just flirt with girls like her like you did, get her number, and not call her. They take that shit seriously," she told him. She pointed over to where Rachel was sitting at the bar. "Go talk to her."

"I don't know…"

"Finn, I just had a very enlightening conversation with her and I think she could be good for you. Please don't throw away a potentially really good relationship away just because you're scared," Santana said.

"You talked to her?" Finn asked.

"Yes, but does that matter? No," Santana answered. "Go."

Finn sighed. "Okay, fine," he said and then headed off towards Rachel.

Santana walked over to the group of girls and Puck. A blonde one whose boobs looked like they were about to pop out of her dress asked, "Where's Finn?"

"He had something to take care of," Santana answered.

The blonde pouted. "Aww," she said. She turned to her friends. "Come on, girls, let's go."

Puck frowned. "What? Hey, where are you going?" he called after their retreating backs. He glared at Santana, who wore a cheeky grin on her face. "The fuck, Santana? Why the hell are you cockblocking me?"

"Because it's fun," Santana answered.

"What the hell is your problem? Why don't you go find some poor guy to fuck instead of interfering with my sex life?" Puck asked. "And you know, now that I think about it, when's the last time you got laid?"

"What I do, or not do, in my free time is none of your business, Puckerman," Santana replied.

"Santana, are you actually turning into a girl?" Puck asked.

Santana narrowed her eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Just because I am best friends with you and Finn, although your status as my best friend is seriously being reconsidered at the moment, and I don't do normal 'girly' things does not mean that I am not a girl. I have boobs and a vagina, clearly I am a female."

"I don't know…you're just, not acting like yourself. Or at least the Santana that I've known for the past 18 years of my life…wow that's a long fucking time," Puck said.

"And how exactly am I not acting like myself?" Santana asked in a low, and oddly calm voice.

Puck was kind of scared to answer her because usually when Santana got that tone of voice, it was right before she unleashed her wrath on you.

"Well?" Santana asked impatiently. "I'm waiting."

"Well, um, you know…"

"Actually, I don't know, idiot," Santana snapped. "That's why I am asking."

"Okay, fine. The fact that you haven't been sleeping with that many guys lately is kind of disconcerting. Usually you're with like four different guys a week. And then I kind of overheard you and Finn talking about how you want love and all that shit and its kind of weirding me out. I mean, its not that weird for Finn, he's becoming more and more like the Finn he was in high school with all his feelings for Rachel and everything, but you, you're not like that," Puck told her.

"When the hell did you hear Finn and I talking? I am pretty sure that you were in the middle of fucking some poor girl when we had that conversation," Santana asked.

"Um, no, that was some other guy," Puck answered.

Santana stared at him. "You had a threesome? With two guys, not two girls? I didn't take you as that type."

"Uh…not exactly," Puck said.

"I'm confused," Santana replied.

"I met this guy on Wednesday and he really wanted to get with this girl so I helped him out a bit. So me and my girl, we were in my room, and I waited until you went into Finn's and let this guy and his chick go into your room," Puck elaborated.

Santana's eyes widened. "You let two complete strangers fuck each other in my room, on my _bed_? The bed that I _sleep _in?"

"I changed the sheets after they left," Puck told her.

"And you think that makes it okay?" Santana shrieked. She punched him in the arm. "You fucking asshole!"

Puck winced. "Ow! The fuck did you hit me for?"

"For being a dumbass!"

"I told you, San, I changed the sheets. You don't have to worry about anything," Puck said.

"Oh, yes I do, Puckerman. I have to worry about not being able to sleep in my bed anymore because I'll keep getting horrifying images of _two people that I don't know having sex in my bed_. I have to worry about Finn kicking your ass because now I will be forced to stay in his room until I get over the fact that you let two _complete strangers _sleep together in my bed. I have to worry about going to jail for fucking killing you in your sleep because you let two people _fuck each other in my bed!_"

"San, calm down," Puck said.

"Calm down? You want to me to fucking _calm down_?" Santana yelled angrily. "Oh _hellll_ to the no, I am not going to calm down! I have a right to want to rip your fucking balls off right now!"

Puck covered his crotch. "Oh shit," he said and then ran off.

"Puckerman, get your ass back here!" Santana yelled after him.

* * *

Rachel was sitting at the bar, her head resting on the palm of one hand, and twirling her straw around her drink with the other. She sighed to herself. _Where is Kurt? I haven't seen him since I left him with Blaine. Ugh. _She was so caught up in her thoughts, mentally replaying what had gone down between her and Finn, that she didn't notice Finn walking up to her and sitting in the bar stool adjacent to hers.

He sent her a shy smile. "Hey."

Rachel looked up and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Finn. "Oh. Um, hi," she replied.

He pointed at the two empty glasses and the half empty one that she was playing with. "So, I take it that, unlike the last time I saw you, tonight you are in the mood for drinking?"

"Yep."

"Is that my doing?" Finn asked. When Rachel didn't answer, he sighed. "Listen, Rachel, I am so sorry for not calling you. I was just…I really like you and that freaked me out."

Rachel shook her head. "No, Finn, you don't have to apologize. In fact, I should be the one apologizing," she told him. At Finn's confused facial expression, she continued. "I shouldn't have flipped out on you like that."

The corners of Finn's mouth twitched. "Yeah, that was kind of scary."

Rachel blushed. "I can be a little, um, dramatic sometimes."

"It's cool," Finn said.

"No, Finn, it's not. I mean, I barely know you. We talked for like five minutes on Wednesday. That was only two days ago. I shouldn't have assumed that you would have called me right away, or even call me at all. I just…I don't know. This is going to sound crazy, but I really sort of fell for you in those couple of minutes that we talked. And the fact that you might not feel the same way made me really upset," Rachel told him.

"I do feel the same way, Rachel, and that scares me. Like a lot. I know that you talked to Santana and I don't know if she told you this, but I've been in one other relationship and it scarred me. I am afraid to be in relationship and fall in love with someone, because then I might get my heart broken again," Finn replied.

Rachel laid one hand on top of Finn's. "Santana told me and I am really sorry that you had to go through that. Whoever hurt you like that made a huge mistake because you seem like a great guy," she said.

Finn smiled wryly . "Thanks, Rach, but you barely know me," he told her.

"But I want to," Rachel said quietly.

Finn looked down. "I don't know if it's such a good idea to get involved with me."

"Why?"

"I've been in one relationship, and that was almost five years ago, and ever since then I've been kind of a…player, I guess."

"A player?"

"You know, sleeping with a different girl every night, never allowing myself to get close to any of them, never looking for a relationship, just a good fuck…" Finn explained.

Rachel winced. "Could you please not use such crude language around me?" She groaned. "Ugh, I sound old, don't I?"

Finn laughed. "No, I think it's cute."

"Again with the cute," Rachel said.

"What's wrong with being cute?" Finn asked.

"I don't want to be cute, Finn. I want to be sexy. Sophisticated. Cute is for little kids. I am an adult," Rachel answered.

"There's nothing wrong with being cute, Rachel," Finn told her. "But, just so you know, I do find you very sexy as well."

Rachel looked up at him shyly. "You do?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I think your mannerisms are cute. The way you scrunch your nose up, the way you stomped your foot when you were yelling at me…you're adorable. But I do find you very sexy as well. And not just because you're wearing that extremely short dress right now. I thought you were sexy when I saw you Wednesday night too. You look nice in purple."

"Kurt picked that dress out, you know. I wear dresses a lot, but they're not usually as fashionable as that one," Rachel said.

"So? Rachel, you're a very beautiful woman. If you're worried about how you look, you shouldn't. It's not like I am that 'fashionable' either. I usually just throw on a t-shirt and some jeans," Finn told her.

"Yeah, but you're a guy. You can get away with that," Rachel replied.

"Rachel," Finn said sternly.

She blushed. "I'm sorry."

Finn brushed a strand a hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "Its fine," he told her as he stared into her eyes. _Wow. She is so pretty. She probably looks even better without all the makeup on her face. I wonder what it would be like to wake up next to her in the morning… _They continued to stare into each other's eyes until Rachel blushed under his deep gaze and looked away.

Finn blinked. _What was that? _He laughed nervously to fill the awkward silence that had settled over them. Rachel just blushed even more.

Finally, Finn asked, "Hey, are you from Tennessee?"

Rachel looked at him. "What?"

"Are you from Tennessee?" Finn repeated. "Because you're the only ten I see."

Rachel stared at him and then broke out into a fit of laughter. "Oh my gosh, Finn, that was terrible! The worst yet." She smiled at him. "But, for your information, no I am not from Tennessee. I'm from Illinois. Chicago, to be exact."

"I've never been to Chicago…" Finn said. "I've never been to a lot of places, actually."

"Oh, Chicago is wonderful, Finn. Not as wonderful as New York, of course, but still wonderful. You have to visit sometime," Rachel gushed.

"Maybe," Finn replied.

"So, where are you from?" Rachel asked. "And how old are you? I just realized that you know my age, but I don't know yours. There are a lot of things that I don't know about you."

"I'm from Lima, Ohio. It's a really sucky town. No where near as awesome as Chicago or NYC," Finn answered. "And I am twenty-three. I turned twenty-three in May."

"Oh, I don't turn twenty-three until December. I was always the youngest in my class. I have a late birthday," Rachel told him.

"So, we graduated from high school in the same year? Class of '06?" Finn asked.

Rachel nodded. "Yep. That's my class."

Finn smiled. "Awesome," he said. He thought back to just moments earlier when they were staring into each other eyes. _Damn, she looked beautiful. I wonder if her lips are as soft as they look… _"Hey, Rachel?"

"Mhmm?"

"Can I kiss you? I really want to," Finn asked.

In response, Rachel leaned over and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. She had leaned so far over that she almost slid off of the bar stool that she was sitting on, but Finn quickly wrapped his arms around her and got up from the stool he was on, walking closer to her so that she didn't have to strain her neck so much, all without breaking the kiss.

Rachel blushed and giggled as she pulled away. "You know, that was an abnormality. I don't usually even kiss on the first date," she told him. "Not that I go on a lot of dates," she added bitterly.

"You don't go on a lot of dates?" Finn asked, surprised. "I would have thought that guys would be knocking down your door for them."

"Um, no," Rachel answered. "I like to believe that they are just intimidated by my talent."

"Oh," Finn replied. "Well, then they are stupid. Any guy would be lucky to go out with someone as amazing and as talented as you."

Rachel smiled. "You're sweet."

Finn returned the smile and opened his mouth to ask if she would like to go on a date with him, but was interrupted by Puck running up to them and crouching down behind Finn and Santana running after him, a string of curse words spewing from her mouth.

"Dude, save me," Puck whispered to Finn. "She's trying to cut off my balls. I need them."

"What?" Finn asked in confusion.

"He let strangers fuck in my bed, Finn," Santana said as she reached them. "In my bed!"

"I changed the sheets, dude. It's not like she has to sleep on dirty sheets," Puck defended himself. "She needs to calm the fuck down."

Finn sighed. "Dude, you can't just let people have sex in Santana's room. That's rude." He sent an apologetic look at Rachel, who was watching the scene unfold before her with wide eyes.

"It was for a good cause," Puck told him.

"Oh that's it," Santana growled and lunged at Puck but Finn held her back. Puck laughed.

Finn glared at Puck. "Dude, not helping," he said and then turned to Santana. "San, calm down."

Santana whirled on him. "Don't tell me to calm down!"

"What the hell is it with chicks and not liking it when someone tells them to calm down?" Finn asked, getting distracted for a moment. Santana managed to pry herself from Finn's arm in those two seconds and tried to get Puck again. The sound that came from Puck's mouth was almost comical. "Shit," Finn cursed and grabbed Santana again. "Dude, go away so you don't get killed. Santana, come with me, we are going home." Puck didn't hesitate to disappear into the crowd.

"What about your girlfriend?" Santana asked, gesturing towards Rachel, who was still staring at them in shock.

Rachel blinked and shook her head to clear it when she realized that Santana was talking about her. "I am not his girlfriend, and actually, I have to go find my best friend so it's fine," Rachel told her as she stood up. She didn't mind being referred to as Finn's girlfriend, but she didn't want to scare Finn away before he even asked her on a date.

"Oh," Finn said, almost sounding sad.

Rachel stood on her tip toes and pressed a light kiss to Finn's cheek, his scruff scratching her face a little. "Bye Finn."

"Bye Rachel," Finn replied. "I'll call you, okay?"

Rachel smiled. "Okay," she said and then walked away.

Santana looked at Finn. "Ooooh you like her," she observed.

Finn rolled his eyes. "I thought we had established that already."

"We have, I just…I really saw it just then. You really care for her, Finn, and you just met her two days ago," Santana said.

Finn nodded. "Yep. I'm screwed."

"Don't worry, Finnocence," Santana told him. "If she hurts you, she'll never want to show her face around here anymore. I'll make sure of that."

"San, she's really tiny. Would you really hurt her?" Finn asked.

"Well let's hope we don't find out," Santana answered. "I don't think you have to worry about her breaking your heart though. She seems like a really good person. The exact opposite of those girls that you screw around with and a lot different from Quinn and I think that's good for you."

Finn sighed. "I hope so."

* * *

"Kurt! Where the hell were you? I needed you and you disappeared!" Rachel asked when she finally found Kurt, after walking around the nightclub for about five minutes. He and Blaine were standing in a dark corner near the back of the club.

"With Blaine, obviously," Kurt answered and then turned to Blaine, who looked kind of scared. "Don't worry, she's not really mad. She just turns everything into a big deal. She's sort of a drama queen."

"Oh, and you're not?" Rachel snapped. She took a deep breath to calm herself and then turned to Blaine. She held out a hand. "Hello Blaine," she said in a cheerful voice. "Kurt has told me a lot about you which is why it seems like I already know you but I have realized that we have never been formally introduced. My name is Rachel Berry and I am Kurt's very talented best friend."

Blaine sent her a warm smile as he shook her hand. "Hi Rachel. It's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you as well."

Rachel smiled brightly at that. "I'm sure you have. I am a very interesting person to talk about. Has Kurt told you about my aspirations to be a huge star on Broadway one day?"

"Yes, actually, he has," Blaine told her. "He also mentioned that you have a stunning voice. I would love to hear it sometime."

Kurt interfered before Rachel could continue talking about herself some more. "Rachel, why were you looking for me?"

"Oh, um, I'm ready to go," Rachel said. "If you want to stay though, you can, I'll just walk home by myself. It's not that far."

"Are you insane, Rachel?" Kurt asked. "Its Friday night on the streets of New York City. Not to mention that you're in that extremely revealing dress. Are you trying to attract crazies?"

"Its fine, Kurt. You can go ahead and walk Rachel home. I'll call you," Blaine said.

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded. "Of course," he said and gave Kurt a light kiss. He said goodbye to Rachel and the walked away.

Rachel looked at Kurt with wide eyes. "Did he just kiss you?"

Kurt smiled dreamily. "Yes. Yes he did."

"Wow. Are you guys official?" Rachel asked.

Kurt nodded. "Yep. He asked me to be his boyfriend a little after you left us at the bar earlier."

Rachel smiled brightly and gave Kurt a big hug. "Aw, Kurt, I am so happy for you!"

Kurt smiled. "Thanks, darling," he told her. "So, how did things go with that guy that you like?"

"Finn?" Rachel smiled as she thought of the tall man with the warm brown eyes. "Things went great."

Kurt didn't say anything, just looked at the ground.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, Rachel. If he only pays attention to you now because you're in that skanky dress then I don't think that he's good enough for you. You need a guy that will like you for you. Not the way you look."

"Oh, no, he does like me for me," Rachel told him. She gestured to her clothes. "This didn't even really have an effect on him."

Kurt snorted. "I doubt it," he replied. "I'm gay and it had an effect on me." He laughed at the look on Rachel's face. "I'm kidding, Rachel."

"Oh, okay," Rachel said. "Anyway, we talked for a while. He's a really great guy, Kurt."

"Well, if you're sure…"

Rachel nodded firmly. "I am sure, Kurt."

Kurt sent her a smile. "Then I am happy for you," he told her. "Now let's go. I am exhausted."

Rachel giggled, linked arms with Kurt, and then they left the nightclub.

* * *

Rachel hummed her favorite song, "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the musical Funny Girl, to herself while she got ready for bed. She was in an insanely good mood. She really hoped that she and Finn would last. She hoped that she would be the one to show him that not all relationships are bad. To show him that being in love is a good thing. She personally had never been fortunate enough to experience love, but she had watched enough romantic comedies and read enough romance novels to know that being in love was the best feeling in the world.

She had just finished her nightly bedtime routine and got inside her bed when her phone vibrated on the nightstand beside her. She picked it up and frowned at the unknown number.

"Hello?" she asked as she answered the phone.

"Um, is this Rachel?" said the voice on the other end.

Rachel's stomach flipped as she recognized the voice on the phone. What a nice surprise, she thought to herself. "Finn!" she exclaimed. "Hi! Yes, this is Rachel."

"Oh, good. I was kind of worried there for a second," Finn said with a chuckle. "Your number hasn't completely washed off of my arm yet thanks to the fact that you wrote it in permanent marker, but it's been two days so it's a little hard to read. I thought I had read the numbers wrong."

Rachel giggled. "Nope, this is the right number," she said. She looked at the flashing red numbers on the clock beside her. "It's two in the morning, Finn. Is everything okay?"

"Um, yeah. I just…I promised I'd call you, right?"

Rachel heart soared. The way he said those words was so endearing and it made her fall for him just a little bit more. "Awww, Finn…"

"What?" Finn asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just…." Rachel didn't know how to word what she wanted to say.

"It's just what, Rachel?" Finn asked softly.

"Um…nothing. It's not important," Rachel told him. "So, how's Santana? Is she okay? Did your other friend get home okay? The one who with the mohawk and the very unfortunate nickname?"

"Puck? Oh, he's not here. Probably at some chick's place where he not at risk of getting his balls cut off in his sleep," Finn answered.

"He deserves it. I don't know the whole story but I do know that it is incredibly rude to let strangers engage in sexual intercourse in someone else's bed without their permission," Rachel replied.

Finn laughed. "Santana will be glad to hear that you're on her side," he said. "Oh, and she's fine. She made me throw her mattress out and right now she's sleeping like a baby. In my bed, though."

"I…um…you're letting her share a bed with you?" Rachel asked.

"Santana's my best friend, Rachel," Finn said quickly. "Nothing more. We've been best friends since kindergarten. She's like my sister. Nothing would ever happen between us. That's gross."

"Okay, I believe you," Rachel replied. Really, she wasn't so sure, but she didn't want to seem like one of those people who never wanted their boyfriend to hang out with other girls. Trust was an extremely important component of having a successful relationship. Not that she and Finn were in a relationship yet, but still. It was never too early to practice. "So…was there any particular reason for your call or did you just want to hear my voice?" she asked and then blushed for her brazenness.

Finn laughed. "A little bit of both actually. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I actually have an audition to go to in the afternoon…" Rachel started.

"You do?" Finn asked. "Damn, and here I am keeping you from getting some rest. I'm sorry."

"No, Finn, its fine," Rachel answered. She really didn't want to stop talking to him.

"I called because I wanted to ask you out on a date," Finn told her. "A real one. Not just us talking at a bar. I was gonna take you out to lunch tomorrow but since you can't do that, how about we go to dinner instead?"

Rachel smiled. "I'd love that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Cool," Finn said. "So, um, I'll call you with the details tomorrow, alright?"

"Okay," Rachel agreed. "Bye Finn."

"Bye," Finn said softly and then hung up the phone.

Rachel sighed contently as she snuggled back into her covers. She had a date with Finn. She had just closed her eyes when she heard her phone vibrating on the nightstand next to her. She picked it up and smiled as she read the text from Finn.

_good luck on your audition tomorrow. i'm sure you're gonna kill it. love, finn._

Oh my goodness, could he get any sweeter? He had to stop soon 'cause she was seriously falling for him.

**the end.**

* * *

**:/ **

**Hopefully that wasn't too bad. Kind of an abrupt ending, I guess.**

**Let me know what you think :)**

**-csifan1101**


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